Using Regeneration of the Worm

[Dr. Cliché]

I recently discovered this Dragon feat (here (http://www.purpleduckgames.com/cpbod10), if anyone is interested):

Regeneration of the Worm (Physical)
The dragon, when cleaved in two, begins to knit itself back together. Black tendrils of gore and animated droplets of blood drag chunks of dragonmeat back together.
Prerequisite: Endurance, Great Fortitude.
Benefit: If the dragon is reduced below –10 hit points, it begins to regenerate at a rate of hit points per round equal to its age category until it is fully healed. This regeneration ability stops happening when the dragon reaches full hit points.

If acid or fire is applied to the dragon’s body (assuming it is not immune to the attack used), or the major chunks of the carcass are divided (requiring a Strength check at a DC equal to the dragon’s age category multiplied by 5) before the dragon reaches a positive hit point total, the regeneration ceases.
Special: The dragon is also immune to vorpal effects.

Anyway, as you've probably surmised, I want to use this feat; but I'm also looking for suggestions with a couple of things:

1) Do you think this would work best with a particular type of dragon? I'm currently thinking Shadow or Deep, but I'm open to other suggestions.

2) Are there any templates/feats that might go with the 'feel' of the above feat? Preferably ones that don't change the dragon's appearance too much (so that the above Regeneration is the main surprise).

[Fouredged Sword]

Well, that sound hilarious on a kobold true dragon.

[Phelix-Mu]

2.) A...was it Tarterian Dragon? There's one from the Draconomicon that already looks kind of emaciated and skeletal. Would be pretty cool to use a "self-reanimation" technique with such an exotic appearance already.

[Big Fau]

That feat is kinda dysfunctional: It only works when something is reduced to -10 but most things die and become objects at that value, and objects can't have regeneration.

[Fouredged Sword]

And regeneration only heals non-lethal damage. Fast healing is what you are looking for to heal normal HP damage.

It WOULD prevent your death, as all damage past the point of killing you would become non-lethal per regeneration, but you wouldn't heal.

[Phelix-Mu]

Note, the ability doesn't grant "Regeneration" as per the defined game ability. The feat or whatever it is seems to be using "regeneration" as per it's definition in English. Kind of. Anyway, I agree, terribly written. Not sure it's totally dysfunctional, as basically it says "the corpse becomes a creature again."

So, actually, that sounds stronger than regeneration. More like self-resurrection.

[Khatoblepas]

Note that if the dragon is immune to acid and fire, nothing can stop the "regeneration", and if applied to a kobold, it'd be pretty hilarious to see a strongman struggle to move parts of a tiny carcass from each other. (DC 60 Strength check to move a Great Wyrm Kobold's butt away from the rest of it?!)

However, if the Dragon is reduced to EXACTLY -10 hit points, it just drops dead.

Also:

Dragons gain one feat as a hatchling, and gain another feat for every four hit dice they possess. Different age advancements or classes also give extra feats, and some dragon sub-species also have racial feats. The feats are divided into Breath Feats, Physical Feats, General Feats and Organization Feats.

Yaaaay, free feats!

[Phelix-Mu]

Note that if the dragon is immune to acid and fire, nothing can stop the "regeneration", and if applied to a kobold, it'd be pretty hilarious to see a strongman struggle to move parts of a tiny carcass from each other. (DC 60 Strength check to move a Great Wyrm Kobold's butt away from the rest of it?!)

Yeah, what was with the totally weird calculation of Strength check DCs? In my experience, the game tends to lowball them, or they are just middling. Anything above...like age category six is going to be pretty much impossible to beat without some magic or feat to raise the Strength checks.

[Chronos]

And this regeneration or fast healing or whatever the heck it is doesn't start at all until the creature is below -10, but then just keeps going? Why can't the dragon start healing as soon as it's hurt?

[Phelix-Mu]

And this regeneration or fast healing or whatever the heck it is doesn't start at all until the creature is below -10, but then just keeps going? Why can't the dragon start healing as soon as it's hurt?

I guess they were going for more of a surprise extra battle than a factor that makes the battle longer. I'm not sure it all makes sense, but they came out with so much optional rules and stuff for dragons that it's hardly a surprise that some of it seems kind of bizarre.

It's a cool storytelling mechanism, to be sure.

[Dr. Cliché]

Hmm, I guess I'd overlooked how badly this rule was written. I also can't help wondering if they actually meant "Regeneration of the Wyrm".


However, if the Dragon is reduced to EXACTLY -10 hit points, it just drops dead.

But... but...? :smalleek:

*Sigh* why do I see the players reducing it to exactly -10 the first time they face it.


And this regeneration or fast healing or whatever the heck it is doesn't start at all until the creature is below -10, but then just keeps going? Why can't the dragon start healing as soon as it's hurt?

I wondered about that.

Also, consider this scenario - you have a YA dragon who gets reduced to -10 and starts regenerating (let's say his max health is 200). If he gets to 294hp, and then finds a spiked bracelet or something that will deal 5 damage to him each round, then he gets to keep his regeneration. However, if he reaches his maximum hp, he'll have to die again in order to regain his regeneration.

This sounds like he made a wish with a djinni, but didn't word it carefully enough. :smalltongue:


Sad thing is, I could just make up a feat/ability along these lines (preferably one which makes a bit more sense), and apply it to a dragon. However, I thought it would be nice to actually use this sort of feat from a book for a change. Really, I guess there isn't much difference - it's just that a homebrew feat from a book feels more 'official' than one I just made up myself. Does anyone else feel the same, or do I just look at these things in a weird way?

[Chronos]

Hitting -10 exactly isn't even as small a target as it looks. If you hit it to anywhere between -1 and -9, it'll bleed out one point at a time until it reaches -10.

[Karnith]

I also can't help wondering if they actually meant "Regeneration of the Wyrm".
Maybe, but in (old) English and German folklore "worm," "wurm," and "wyrm" are all terms for dragons/serpents/etc.
Also actual worms, which is where our word comes from.
D&D uses "wyrm" pretty consistently in reference to dragons, but that doesn't mean that third-party stuff needs to be so constrained.

[TuggyNE]

This sounds like he made a wish with a djinni, but didn't word it carefully enough. :smalltongue:

That's a pretty great description of a lot of third-party stuff, isn't it? :smalltongue:

[Jeff the Green]

Does anyone else feel the same, or do I just look at these things in a weird way?

I don't feel the same (anymore), but I sympathize. There's the a priori assumption that if someone's bothered to go to the expense of publishing it and people are willing to purchase it that they've thought about it for a while and had an editor go over it. Of course, this assumption is completely outweighed by the fact that even 1st-party books contain ridiculous material.